帝味Di Wei@Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang

I think it was the first time that I actually traveled home for the Mid Autumn dinner ever since I moved to Penang for work. Turns out it was also the first time we did not do any elaborate Mid Autumn dinner. It was on Thursday and my siblings were all at work so it was kind of difficult, I guess.

Instead, we went out the following day, since it was a public holiday (Malaysia Day). We went to the Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya. Originally, we went there because dad heard of a certain London based famous roasted duck place having an outlet there, and he wanted to try it. I forgot the name of that place.

Turns out that place has already closed down quite a while ago. What a bummer. So we decided to look for some other place to have lunch. Now, we wanted to go Chinese food, and from what we saw in the directory, it was either Canton-i or this:

The place looked intimidatingly expensive even from the outside. But heck, for once-in-a-while occasions, what the heck, right? Just go in lah!

One inconvenient fact about this restaurant: they have tables for 4 and tables for 10. There were 5 of us and the table for 4 was too small for us, so we ended up occupying half a large table, making it somewhat difficult to have conversations throughout the meal. I hope this restaurant will introduce medium sized tables in their layout.

This time I did the ordering. I was worried that I might not remember the name of the dishes, so I snapped a picture of this order chit.

BBQ 3 Combi: Char siew 叉烧, roasted duck 烧鸭, roasted pork 烧肉

This BBQ 3 Combi platter left me in no doubt that this is a fine dining-esque Chinese restaurant. There were 5 of us, so we were served 5 pieces of each type of meats. You can’t have more than 1 piece per person. Drat… The meats were of decent quality though. We actually ordered this because we set out to eat roasted duck, so I made sure we really got to eat it even if not from the same restaurant.

Also I remember in the menu, this dish was called 三剑客. The Three Musketeers…

S.Fried Garoupa XO-S

I think it means Stir Fried Garoupa with XO Sauce. I was slightly disappointed when this arrived and it looked nothing like the picture in the menu. The picture showed a fish dish with significantly more gravy and the gravy was light color. Taste wise I think it was alright, did not leave a lasting impression though…

Br Broc w B Pith & M

Braised Broccoli with… B Pith… & Mushrooms. Wait, what the heck was B Pith? I don’t remember much of how this dish tasted. It didn’t make a lasting impression too. Was it fish maw? But no way fish maw spells as B Pith.

This is straightforward. Stew Eggplant with Pork. Known in Chinese as 鱼香茄子. This is a dish best eaten together with rice because the gravy is so sooooo fragrant thanks to the usage of salted fish. But some restaurants do this poorly and the thing ended up being too overly salty.

The one we ordered here was perfect. Good flavors without being too overbearing…

C.M&C.R Homemade BC-S

Hmm… oh yes. Crab Meat and Crab Roe Homemade Bean Curd in Sauce. This was another greatly executed dish. The bean curd was fried crispy on the outside and gooey soft on the inside. The gravy was prime for eating with rice too. Yumsss…

I didn’t take pictures of the dim sum. I also didn’t take note of the individual prices. All I remember is signing of the credit card bill for the total price of RM257. Service charge 10% and GST 6% included.

I wanted to say it was bloody expensive. But then, for a meal for 5 adults, in a fine dining-esque Chinese restaurant in a shopping mall, in KL… that sounds about right, no? 🙄

Got 30% off or not as shown in the first picture? hahahaha.. I guess not otherwise you would have mentioned.. Yes, in fine dining, the price is normally like that, be prepared and if eaten in open air style, the bill might come to RM120-150? Anywaysss.. ok la, own stomach eat and also with love ones, it is worth it!

Huh?? I overlooked that 30% poster! I don’t know if we got that or not, or how to get it. When I paid, I just made sure the items in the bill was correct, I didn’t check the prices at all. Actually I don’t think I looked at the prices even when ordering from the menu.

I was cracking my head for the duck shop’s name and Mun got the name – Four Seasons! I totally forgot about this place as I seldom hang out at Empire. I love Dragon-I and they are delicious to perfection.
So I must try this Di Wei next time. Talking about odd sized tables, I also noticed this trend now and wonder where they copied these tables??

How many siblings do you have? I have to be busy body sometimes. Hihihi

You know, that’s what I miss, Chinese food in a Chinese restaurant macam tu. Me and my partner used to go to Magic Wok for our fix until their cooking went downhill. Other than that not that many choices around my area. That was a good meal you had with your family. All the dishes I like 🙂

Since you didn’t list the individual prices (+ you ate some dim sum as well), it’s difficult to gauge if the prices were expensive…although, overall, it does seem a bit on the pricey side based on 5 main dishes of that size. For such small portions, I think I’d much rather eat at Putien, Courtyard Subang, which is much cheaper (with most dishes costing under RM20 for small + I think your parents might like the lightly seasoned, subtle tastes here). And hey, I see 6 pcs of char siew and siu yuk (you must have eaten an extra piece without realising….kekeke!) 😀

The food looks good. Like you said, it’s okay to push the boat out once in a while. I think it makes one savor the moment esp it’s good company and food.

Mun is right in saying that the roast duck from the Four Seasons is supposed to be the best. One of the branches in China Town, London usually attracts a crowd of young people and a queue.

I have not had an egg tart for ages.

Recently, I saw a tray of egg tarts in China Town, labelled as Portugese egg tart. The only difference between these tarts and the Chinese egg tarts were the caramelised glaze. The pastry were not crispy nor was it flaky. No thanks, it would be a waste of calories.

If you are in London and crave for a decent Pastel de nata at a reasonable price, head to Lisboa Patisserie, a Portuguese bakery in South Lambeth Road in Vauxhall, South London and Goldbourne Road, West London. They do a nice selection of cakes.

Well, Chinese style Portuguese egg tarts are probably not the same as the original Pastel de nata. It is a Macau delicacy, a localized adaptation that the Portuguese made when they occupied Macau in the past.

I’d love to try an authentic pastel de nata though. Couldn’t find any when I was in Barcelona earlier this year. So near yet so far… 🙄

I tried Crystal Jade in Changi and Orchard Road before, I’m sorry to say I don’t like the food there. Maybe it is my Malaysian tongue, I find the food there too bland. I prefer Soup Restaurant to be honest, if in Singapore.

Been there once. Like you say for a restaurant like this the price is expected to be like this. I like to eat bamboo pith. I have written about them before. Lazy to search for the link now. I have also eaten the duck from London in Empire Gallery when it just open. Ok lah I don’t find it extremely special. I think it is the Four Season Roast Duck from London.

My dad heard from his friend that this duck was super special, that Londoners do things differently one, bla bla bla… too bad he did not get to taste it. Maybe one day we’ll go to London for the real thing. 🙄